The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the dismissal of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by an inmate serving 25 years to life in prison on an enhancement for the intentional firing of a weapon that resulted in death, rejecting his argument that the Court of Appeal relied on outdated case law that did not take into account recent legislative changes.

Div. Three of the Fourth District Court of Appeal has vacated an April 24 opinion reversing an order denying resentencing under Penal Code §1172.75 and remanding the case to the Orange Superior Court after the Office of Attorney General came upon information that the appellant is no longer serving the sentence imposed in that county.

The California Supreme Court is taking more time to decide fewer cases, and its majority opinions are getting longer. In the past, when the court was writing shorter majority opinions it did so faster and produced more of them. The current condition in general stems from trends in automatic appeals and civil cases, with each case type showing distinct contributing effects.

This event will overview Joseph Raymond Grodin’s jurisprudence as a justice on the Court of Appeal and California Supreme Court, his legal scholarship, and the historical and legal significance of the 1986 retention election.